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ximilialog2022-02-02 06:57 pm
- ! event log,
- ! open,
- altered carbon: takeshi kovacs,
- critical role: percy de rolo,
- doctor who: clara oswald,
- doctor who: river song,
- doctor who: the doctor (11),
- fear street: ziggy berman,
- grishaverse: alina starkov,
- grishaverse: the darkling,
- gundam seed/destiny: yzak jule,
- knives out: marta cabrera,
- marvel comics: gwen stacy,
- mass effect: kaidan alenko,
- mcu: daisy johnson,
- mcu: shang-chi,
- pacific rim: newton geiszler,
- pacific rim: raleigh becket,
- star trek aos: james t. kirk,
- star trek aos: leonard mccoy,
- star wars: finn,
- star wars: luke skywalker,
- supernatural: dean winchester,
- the 100: clarke griffin,
- the old guard: andromache,
- towards the terra: soldier blue,
- transformers: drift,
- transformers: megatron,
- twisted wonderland: deuce spade,
- yakuza 0: goro majima,
- yakuza: zhao tianyou
MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2
● ● ● M I S S I O N 4 . 2
It is barely past twilight in Scorpion’s Bend, the twin suns having just set, taking their light with them — but the moons delay, and so darkness lingers over the town as Lan Xichen’s conversation with one Welford Branson comes to an abrupt end. At the same time, all around the town, the team will notice the town natives around them stilling — some freezing in the middle of a sentence, a man with a fork in the air, a woman mid-step on the street, some youngsters with their mouths open in laughter. All of them become statues in less than a heartbeat; still, eyes vacant, like everything that made them seem alive has been taken away.
And then — a reverberating sigh, echoing heavily in the ears of all the Orbers. What follows are words, spoken by a chorusing voice now familiar to most of the team —
The orb’s echoing sound is filled with disappointment, even annoyance.
Some may see that amidst all the frozen townspeople, an old man runs, clawing at his thinning hair. Some of you may hear his words, muttered, desperate:
The disbelieving mumbles trail at his wake, making it clear he does not know what is going on at all — in fact, you may have a better idea as to what has happened than he does. But as you turn to follow him, open your mouth to yell at him to stop... everything around you shatters.
The lights in the buildings grow dim and break; the smell of food disappears; the horses in the stables simply fade away. You notice that if you were wearing or carrying something you bought while here, it too disappears, your clothes turning to those you had on upon arrival, all equipment shimmering away slowly.
But perhaps most importantly… the frozen statues of people crumble into ash right in front of you. It may fill the floors of the now-silent, dusty and worn-down houses, or it may blow away with the harsh desert wind — whichever it is, sans the team, the town of Scorpion’s Bend is now devoid of people.
The town that now surrounds the team is very different from the one it used to be — the houses are quiet, filled with sand and dust; doors broken, tables turned over, drawers open and mostly empty, aside from anything not valuable. The beds in Thornbush Inn are ragged, insects of various sizes skittering along the floors. The Saloon is dusty, furniture broken, and a lone piano stands in the corner, half its keys having crumbled away. The door to the Mayor’s office is ajar, a banging sound repeating as it hits the wall in time with the wind.
1.0 In the corners of the Sheriff’s office, the school and the church, the embera slither along, searching for food; owl-shrews hide from the Orbers on the streets, while feathered coyotes howl at the five moons now lending their light to see the town’s destruction better. The team may be the only living humanoids, but they are not the only living beings in the town anymore; in the absence of people, animals have made the town their home. And coexist they must, now, to survive the rapidly dropping temperature of the night that has fallen upon them.
2.0 The next morning, as the moons disappear underneath the horizon and let the two suns bring out their scorching rays once more, the team wakes up to the reality of having to survive Scorpion’s Bend… with very little supplies. So search the empty houses, for they still stand; the fire that has burned away the people has not touched the buildings… but they have not been immune to the passing of time, or the harsh weather in the desert. You may find clothing, basic equipment, pots and pans left on a now-cold stove; but no valuables, no money, no gems, no jewelry, no weapons.
But amidst your search through the town, remember that what you need, first and foremost, is to find water and something to eat — it will not be long until the suns are high in the sky, and some of you are already in desperate need of proper nourishment, without being left to endure the scorching temperatures the days on the planet of Badrock bring.
3.0 But should you want to brave the heat, you’ll find it is now possible to leave the town and venture out into the desert. Out there, the rock dragons search for prey, while bald vultures circle above your head in groups of three or four, their shrieks growing in volume the farther you walk. If you show weakness, any weakness, they strike — and the dragons, sensing their chance, are not far behind.
And when you least expect it, the ground underneath you trembles, like a small earthquake is approaching you… and then you see it: from the sand, a whale surges up, then another, and another, arcing through the air like suspended there, before the sand swallows them once more. Should you get too close, you too may be swallowed underneath the sand; unless you’re very, very careful, or have in your arsenal something else that may help you to deal with these near-immortal giants that have swam across the deserts for hundreds of thousands of years.
Time passes at a snail’s pace without the comforts of the town you were used to. Scorpion’s Bend is now a wasteland you must survive, and it clearly isn’t easy. Some of you might question whether retrieving the orb is still an endeavour worth pursuing after all of this, but the rest of you know that it is. That you’ve come this far and you’re nearly there; you just need to band together and form a gameplan.
As the suns begin to set over the horizon on yet another grueling day of scorching heat and rough, dry sand in the ghost town of Scorpion’s Bend, you might begin to hear a distant thunder that has nothing to do with an oncoming desert storm or otherwise. It rattles at the already weakened structures of the old Saloon and the General Store, bits of broken glass and debris vibrating with the raucous sound of clattering hooves, feet, and paws. And as the sound of the invasion grows louder – you’ll hear the unmistakable manic howling and bellowing in accompaniment: these are the Bouldersnakes that some of you have already heard much of.
4.0 The Bouldersnakes are not a group to be taken lightly, and have garnered the fearsome reputation that they now hold for a reason. Kicking up dust, they arrive like a cloud of chaos in different sizes, shapes, and forms. Some have the ability to shrink and grow in size to match their opponents in physical size and weight. Other Bouldersnakes are agile and quick; and others yet are superhumanly strong and robust – either way, they make for formidable opponents when you, yourself, have been weakened from weeks of a lack of proper nutrition and sleep. The individual members of the Bouldersnakes are like a band of bloodthirsty brothers: from all walks of life and all colours and creeds, with a severe and mean streak to them, who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
What goals, you ask? Should you listen carefully, their leader, riding a winged lizard-like creature, shouts to their underlings:
As it so happens, you are not the only crew in search of that elusive orb; the Bouldersnakes have been tracking down the whereabouts of this mysterious and all-powerful object themselves, burning through towns – quite literally – to get it. News that Scorpion’s Bend has seen a resurgence of life and might still be the resting place of the orb has the bandits seeking out the town again. Their first round through Scorpion's Bend about a year ago had them coming up empty-handed (save for a few bits and baubles), but this time they are determined to find what they've come here to find. Though if there’s anything left here to salvage... they’ll ransack as they please.
Whether you confront them head-on or they catch you in hiding, they won’t easily back down from a fight. It will be best to keep your distance if you can manage it, and hope that they’ll pass you by. But the Bouldersnakes have their weaknesses too: once maimed, they still bleed, and none of them are immortal, though they are notoriously difficult to kill based on their talents alone... and when they carry weapons, too, well — those not accustomed to battles may find it best to hide. And even for those with fighting experience under your belt, teaming up with your fellow Orbers and combining your shared skills will be your best chance at survival.
5.0 By the time the suns have disappeared and the moons have risen, the Bouldersnakes invasion will make the bandit attack from the other night seem like a childish tussle. The Bouldersnakes don’t play nice and have adapted to the harsh lands as ruthless survivors. They arrive like a wave, many equipped with weapons: guns, sabers, pistols and small knives. A few others have engineered their own specially crafted weapons made of metal and magic (in the shape of guns, blow-torches, and blades) that wield a special element harnessed from mined ore called ‘pulsefire’. It is this pulsefire, glowing a deep blue (like the hottest colour of flame), that has the capability to destroy all living beings and allows the bandits to systematically ravage unsuspecting towns down to ash, reap its benefits (either for the town’s riches and wealth, or and especially: for any supply of ore), and then leave without a trace.
The best way to fight against pulsefire is to acquire weapons of pulsefire of your own and best a Bouldersnake before they best you. (Think high stakes, noon-time duels of the pistol.) Of course, this is a very risky and very dangerous affair as one shot by pulsefire could mean your untimely demise and the element itself isn't easy to put out either, so it might be best to work in teams to strategically disarm and swipe a pulsefire weapon to use before they manage to overwhelm you.
All through this, you must still remember your goal — it is not to stay in Scorpion's Bend, or even fight the Bouldersnakes, but to find the orb... and that means finding Welford Branson. How will you convince him to give you the orb, when all signs point to him not even knowing what it is, or what it has done? That is what you must decide... if you survive the Bouldersnakes in one piece, of course.
F Y I
• The voting for how to get the orb is now open! Please head HERE to submit your idea for how the team should proceed to get the orb, or +1 others’ ideas.
• The conclusion of the mission and the return to the station will be posted on February 13.
• If you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them HERE.
• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪
rescue - open
The arrival of the Bouldersnakes teach her she is so, so wrong. And that she was incredibly stupid to ever think she was capable of the sort of violence required to stand her ground in a physical fight. As the group rides through town and chaos breaks out, Clara jumps into action.
It isn't until she's leapt into the scuffle and is cornered by a group of three of them that she realizes she's outsized and outnumbered. With her back against the wall she fires the gun she's holding in her trembling hands. The bullet makes contact with one of their arms, but he doesn't even flinch. That's about the moment she thinks she very well may be about to die.
Again.
She's petrified by the time they advance toward her, but she tries using her small size to her advantage. She ducks and dodges, running as fast as her little legs will carry her. It's not fast enough, however, and one of the more lizard looking men lashes out with his tail, hitting her in a way that sends her flying. The gun falls from her hand in the process, and there's a nearly comical scream that's cut off as she makes impact with a brick wall of one of the crumbling buildings. She slides down it and lands in a heap on the ground.
When she comes to moments later, all she can feel is the warmth of blood oozing down her face. She dazedly moves to sit up, clutching her head. Her palm presses against the gushing blood and she tries wiping it away. She's so dizzy and her ears are ringing so badly that she doesn't notice the alien she's shot taking aim at her with a pulsefire weapon. She's not a threat, but an annoyance that needs to be taken out just because she's dared shooting one of them in the first place.]
no subject
Sabriel keeps moving, her sword-arm extending as she closes in, snapping out for a thrust through the stomach, only to find more resistance than she expected- instead of piercing straight through, the attack knocks her opponent back, her blade only penetrating about an inch.]
Run!
[There's a harsh urgency in Sabriel's voice, even as she backs up, her blade starting to crackle as she readies a lightning spell.]
no subject
Running is hard but she manages on wobbly legs, one arm cradling the stolen weapon while the other still presses against her head.]
Come with me!
[She shouts back, not wanting to leave Sabriel here alone. The Bouldersnakes are tougher than anyone thought. She isn't sure even magic is going to take them down at this point.]
no subject
The marks come easily, flashing from her mind down the length of her blade with a crackle and the smell of ozone- and then Sabriel's opponent thrashes lightning flowing through his body as he collapses.]
Stay behind me. Where's Doctor McCoy?
[Sabriel's tone is, like her posture, full of restrained energy, like she's on the verge of bursting into action and shouting, even as she keeps her blade up, between herself and the two remaining Bouldersnakes.]
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[Clara does as she's told however, and moves to stand behind Sabriel. She's in total awe at what the young woman is capable of, at the sheer level of power on display here. The violence she's caught in the middle of in this attack is staggering. She's not numb to it, but she's not left cowering by it either. At least not yet.
Instead, she gives the fallen bandit a lingering last look before eyeing the remaining two.]
We could immobilize them, couldn't we? Just long enough to get away?
no subject
Daisy doesn't even see who the bandit in front of her is aiming at as she rushes towards them, using her power to send them flying sideways away from--]
Shit.
[Clara.
Sliding down beside her, the first thing she notices is all of the blood coming from her head. She knows head wounds bleed a lot, but that doesn't make her any less concerned.]
Come on, we need to get you out of here.
[And go where? Daisy has absolutely no idea. She does her best to help Clara up, her free hand shooting out in front of her to break the hand of one of the bandits who tries to point their weapon at the two of them.]
Can you walk?
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Daisy?
[Her vision focuses slightly, and she can tell that yes, it is her friend. She breathes out a sigh of relief as she notices that she's just fine.]
To the schoolhouse. You go. I'll follow.
[She whispers, trying to get up on her feet so she can hobble along.]
no subject
Moving towards the outskirts in the hopes of not being spotted, Daisy's on high alert as she hurries along. Making sure that Clara doesn't fall over in the process.]
You doing okay?
[There's a hint of concern in her voice, wanting to make sure that she isn't about to pass out. Spotting one of the bouldersnakes trying to sneak back into the fight, Daisy sends them flying backwards hard into a rock. Their body bouncing off it and falling limply to the floor.]
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They move as fast as they possibly can together, Clara's hobbling gait making things slow going. By this point she's numb to the violence, and she can only stare wide eyed as yet another bandit goes flying. Likely to their death. ]
I'm not sure.
[She answers Daisy after that, giving a little shake of her head.]
The things I've seen here...everything got really...real.
[And terrifying. She's not meant to be a fighter, and she never should've tried.]
no subject
I know.
[She's learned how to focus on the mission, but Clara hasn't. It's moments like this that she realizes all over again that not everyone here comes from the same kind of background people like her or Aleksander have. They haven't had to fight for their life. Clara was a school teacher, and sometimes a time traveler too, apparently.
Grip tightening on Clara when she thinks her legs are about to give out, Daisy wraps her other arm around her waist to keep her from falling.]
We're close, just hang on.
[She looks around hoping to see someone with more medical training than her, but it's hard to see from where they are. The comms are overwhelmed with panicked messages and voices, and Daisy doesn't want to add to that if she doesn't have to. The church comes into view, but she has to quickly move them to the side of a building when she spots two of the Bouldersnakes roaming through.]
Stay here. I'm going to take them out. I'll be right back, okay?
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Yeah, okay. Just be safe if you can.
[It's almost a joke at this point, because she thinks Daisy may be more reckless than she is. But she knows that Daisy has the skills to back up her recklessness in a fight, and that's the only reason she isn't arguing for them to just stick together and wait things out.
Her head turns as her eyes open, and she gives a tired smile. See? She's just fine, not going anywhere. It's a good chance for her to catch her breath and get ready to make the rest of the trip to safety.]
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Yeah, I'll try.
[She says, distracted with both concern over Clara's injury and trying to come up with a plan to take them out. Waiting for them to pass their building, Daisy sneaks up behind them, but just as she makes a grab for one of them their partner spots her. Shielding herself when they aim their gun at her, the bullets hit their partner instead and before they can reload she sends them flying back into a building.
Satisfied that was it, Daisy hurries back to Clara who is hopefully still conscious.]
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I think I tried using charter magic one too many times.
[She explains, stumbling her way forward to grab hold of Daisy's hand. They're not too far from the schoolhouse now. They can keep going.]
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What?
[She asks breathlessly when she mentions trying to use magic. Up until now she's never once heard Clara mention being able to do any sort of magic. Was it the head injury making her say things? Daisy doesn't push the topic for now, as it's more important to get her into the schoolhouse.]
Come on, it's clear.
[Daisy says as she starts walking as fast, yet carefully, as she can towards the schoolhouse.]
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How many others have you run into?
[She's particularly seeking out the Doctor, but cares about the well being of every other orber too. She hasn't seen very many people in the commotion, but maybe Daisy has. Maybe there's no reason to worry about ways she can head back out into the chaos to find others to bring to the schoolhouse.]
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Of ours? I’ve lost count. Why? Are you looking for someone.
[It’s all a blur at this point. Between fighting the Bouldersnakes and helping her fellow Orbers out. Finally at the schoolhouse, Daisy nudges the door open with her foot. Keeping one hand out in case anyone is trying to hide in here, Daisy moves Clara over to a seat once the coast is clear.]
Any kind of first aid kit in here?
no subject
The fact that his enemies didn't want to stay down was troubling. He was going to have to up his ante if he wanted to take on these a-holes properly. He had his gun but in a fight like this he was used to going hand-to-hand or pulling out his sword for more flashy moves. Either way, it'd probably be a last resort for him. Not that he had any qualms in killing his opponents if it was kill or be killed.... but...
He spotted the dainty lady out of the corner of his eye and felt proud of her for a moment, reminded of Saeko back home who always stepped into a fight without hesitation right along with the rest of the group. But he saw her hesitation when it came down to it and poor aim at the worst of times, and, well, it didn't turn out so great. That was not how someone treated a lady! Especially not one of his fellow Orbers while he was within striking distance.
Darting past his current (now former) opponent, Zhao rushes in and performs a flying leap, using his momentum and speed to send his body into a spin. One foot arches out to tag the pulsefire weapon aimed at Clara and knock it out of the alien's hand, while the other follows up with a higher aim and smashes into the man's face. The martial artist finishes spinning through the air to land on three limbs, the fourth (an arm) stretched out for balance. He doesn't stop for long though, that would be suicide in a fight like this, regaining his full height and positioning himself between the bandit and Clara immediately. His hands are held out in front of him, palms up and fingers relaxed rather than in a fist, as he sizes up the closest bandit with a calm professionalism.]
Stargirl-chan! Getting yourself into trouble? [He greeted Clara as lightly as possible under the circumstances. He hoped she was all right despite the blow she took. He would give her all the time she needed to regain her bearings. Which meant turning his attention to the bandits he was staring down.] I'll take care of these guys. They're small-fry compared to my usual Tuesday. What'da'ya say, boys? Care to play with a real gangster?
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Her hand is pressed against her head, trying to keep blood from trickling down her face. Her ears are ringing, vision blurry. And she thinks she might throw up with how dizzy she is.
Thankfully, her stomach just twists and turns, and she's left staring up at Zhao in awe. The reptilian bandit that he's staring down just laughs in Zhao's face, mentioning something about the woman getting what's coming to her for getting in the way. The avianish bandit looks about ready to peck out both of their eyes for continuing to delay the murder they're seeking.
They look back to each other and then are moving forward in a rush, both fully intending on taking out Zhao together. It's then that Clara gives a startled yelp of warning, trying to hurry to her feet so she can scramble out of the way. The last thing she needs is to be stepped on right now.]
Be careful! You're not a real gangster!!!
[There's a pause, and her bloody hand drops away from her face.]
Are you?
no subject
If nothing else, he could easily confuse his opponents with his favored switch-up of martial arts style from moment to moment in a fight. But they were big and tough and this was going to take a little more force before it was over.
But still, he had time now for--]
Didn't I tell you I was a skilled martial artist? [He quipped with a wicked smile aimed at his opponents even as his words were meant for Clara.] I guess I only mentioned snake style but that was crane and tiger just now. Wanna see some magic shit next?
no subject
[She stops there, somehow managing a laugh despite the intensity of the situation. Her teeth bite down on her lower lip as she nods, deciding to go ahead and let him have some fun with this.
He's impressive though, she realizes. She had underestimated him, and instantly feels regret for doing so.]
Might as well do some magic. Just be careful!
[Her hand reaches up and rubs at her ear, trying to ward off the ringing that's still there. She makes sure to keep behind Zhao, stumbling back and falling over a hay bale with a yelp. Despite the head injury she scrambles back up to her feet, letting the hay act as a barrier between her and the fight going on.]
no subject
One of his opponents decided they didn't want to wait for the magic to happen and rushed him. As before he side-stepped, and when they tried to counter that with a follow-up attack Zhao simply batted them away with his sword, cutting a sharp line across their arm as they reached for him. That got him some more space and he cross-walked slowly around his opponents so he could line them back up together for his own attack.
The magic trick involved his sword, a bottle of high-proof alcohol, and his lighter. Zhao threw the bottle into the air and 'caught' it with his sword on its way back down, breaking the bottle and scattering its contents along the blade. The light, which had been thrown shortly after the bottle, landed on the blade next and lit the entire blade on fire. Then with a lot of flair, the Chinese martial artist brandished his sword in such a fashion that at the end of his maneuver a sprout of flame erupted outwards along the ground to engulf his opponents.
It set the two of them on fire and Zhao sat back and watched them frantically try to extinguish the flames from their persons. There was a glint in Zhao's eye that matched the wicked flame and his lip was curled upwards on one side in an impish smirk. He glanced back at Clara with a thumbs up and his face split into a self-satisfied grin.]
How'd ya like that magic trick?